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Saturday, April 19, 2014

Final Fantasy X HD Remaster Review

While I'm still working on beating
Final Fantasy X-2 HD, I thought I'd review Final Fantsy X HD now and
then review X-2 when I'm ready. That will probably be sometime in
the middle of next week. So for now let's take a look at Final
Fantasy X HD.

On the most basic level, Final Fantasy
X HD is essentially the same as the PS2 version only with better
graphics and extra content depending on which version of the game you
had. The HD Remaster is the International version that was released
in Japan and Europe, which included optional bosses like the Dark
Aeons, and the Expert Sphere Grid. The HD Remaster also adds a
variety of trophies ranging from beating certain bosses in the story,
to getting all the Celestial Weapons, and even completing some of the
harder optional content like beating Penance.

Visually speaking, Final Fantsy X HD
looks great. Most, if not all of the main characters in the game
have received new models that were completely built from scratch and
they look spectacular. Unfortunately most secondary characters and
enemy models only got a minor upgrade, so most of them look like they
were imported from the original game and stand out when next to the
newer models. Some of the backgrounds featured in places like the
Mi'hen Highroad look very dated.

Gameplay for Final Fantasy X hasn't
changed at all in this remastered edition. Unlike most Final Fantasy
games, Final Fantasy X used turn based combat so that players could
take their time and focus more on strategy rather than having to stay
on their toes with the ATB system. While strategy can help deal with
some of the more difficult enemies in the game, most boss battles are
easily won by simply doing nothing but summoning Aeons depending on
how much you've leveled Yuna up.

Final Fantasy X's soundtrack also got a
facelift for the remaster. While most songs have been improved a
little, many of the more iconic songs from the game have been redone
entirely. Those who played the original Final Fantasy X will
immediately notice how different the battle music and victory theme
sound. It takes some time to get used to, but then several pieces
grew on me and I found myself looking forward to hearing how certain
songs had been changed.

With the release of this HD collection,
this is a great time for anyone who never played Final Fantasy X to
check it out. Not only that but it would be a great opportunity for
old fans of the game to relive this classic gem from the previous
generation of consoles. Final Fantasy X HD Remastered may show it's
age in some places, but it is still a lot of fun to play thirteen
years later.